Keystone Species

What is a keystone species?

• A species that helps to hold an ecosystem together

• A species that lives in or around rocks

• Keys and stones have nothing to do with ecology

• A keystone isn't a living thing, it's just a stone

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Why are some sharks considered a keystone species?

• Because they are a top predator

• They scare off smaller fish that may overgraze an area of sea grass

• They are tertiary consumers

• They are cartilaginous

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Why are bees considered a keystone species?

• The honey they make supports the bear population

• They pollinate flowers that produce fruit which supports the ecosystem

• They sting when threatened

• They live in hives

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A species that maintain biodiversity by keeping prey populations controlled are called...

• Introduced Species
• Apex Predators
• Invasive Species
• Keystone Species

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Based on the graph shown, what is the effect of removing a keystone species from an ecosystem?

• biodiversity goes up
• biodiversity goes down
• biodiversity stays about the same
• not enough information to tell

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Based on the graph shown, how can you tell sea otters are a keystone species?

• as the sea otter population decreases, biodiversity increases
• as sea otter population increases, biodiversity increases
• changes in the sea otter population have little effect on biodiversity 
• the sea otter population dereases due to the presence of urchins

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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A species that maintain biodiversity by keeping prey populations controlled are called...

• Introduced Species
• Apex Predators
• Invasive Species
• Keystone Species

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-5